doodlepicket

Fact sheet · updated

WHAT THE GUIDANCE SAYS

Good fences,
good neighbours.

A fence is a small project with a few big rules.

Check a fence
A white wooden picket fence edging a cottage front garden full of late summer flowers, a gravel path leading to a gate
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

1 m · 2 mroad side · elsewhere

In England, planning guidance sets simple height limits for fences, walls and gates. Ownership is often less clear than people think, and a small gap at the bottom can help hedgehogs roam.

At a glance

14,000+

Boundary queries, November 2025 to August 2026

HM Land Registry handled more than 14,000 queries about property boundaries in those months, up from less than 10,000 in the same period a year earlier.

BOUNDARIES · HM LAND REGISTRY

33–77%

Estimated fall in rural hedgehogs, two decades

The State of Britain's Hedgehogs 2022 estimated countryside hedgehogs fell by an average of 8.3% a year. Urban populations appear stable and may be growing.

HEDGEHOGS · NHM

TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING

Boundary questions,
and vanishing hedgehogs.

One figure on how often boundaries cause queries,
one on why the hedgehog gap matters.

The Natural History Museum reports that holes in fences at ground level let hedgehogs through while blocking larger animals.

A QUICK FENCE CHECK

Will this fence need
planning permission?

Pick a fence plan to see what the Planning Portal guidance for England says. The bar shows how likely it is that you need permission.

Based on Planning Portal guidance for England. Wales may differ and local rules can apply, so check with your council if unsure. Not legal advice.

Fence check

Choose a fence plan
A 1 m fence beside the roadUsually not needed

Next to a road used by vehicles or its footpath, a fence up to 1 metre from ground level generally needs no planning permission.

A 1.5 m fence beside the roadLikely needed

Beside a road or its footpath the limit is 1 metre, so a taller fence there generally needs planning permission.

A 1.8 m fence in the back gardenUsually not needed

Away from a road, fences up to 2 metres from ground level generally need no permission.

A 2.2 m fence anywhereLikely needed

Over 2 metres goes beyond the limit for fences, walls and gates, so planning permission is generally needed.

Any fence by a listed buildingNeeded

Permission is needed if the site is a listed building or within its curtilage, or if the fence borders a neighbouring listed building.

Source: Planning Portal, Fences, gates and garden walls: planning permission. An article 4 direction or planning condition can also remove these rights.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Height, ownership
and a little gap.

Planning rules cover height.
Neighbours and wildlife cover the rest.

HEIGHT

1 metre by the road

The Planning Portal says a fence next to a road used by vehicles, or its footpath, usually needs no permission up to 1 metre. Elsewhere the limit is 2 metres.

Check a fence

OWNERSHIP

Not always on the plan

Most title plans show general boundaries, not exact ones, and there is usually no record of who owns the fence between two properties.

Boundary myths

HEDGEHOGS

A 13 cm doorway

Hedgehogs roam about 1 to 2 km a night. Hedgehog Street recommends a 13 x 13 cm hole at the base of fences to let them through.

How to help
A hedgehog at dusk approaching a small square gap cut at the base of a wooden garden fence
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

FOUR STEPS TO TRY

Before the posts
go in.

None of these costs much. They save arguments, paperwork and, for hedgehogs, a long detour.

  1. Measure from the ground

    Height limits are measured from ground level: 1 metre beside a road or its footpath, 2 metres elsewhere.

  2. Check special cases

    Listed buildings, conservation areas, article 4 directions and planning conditions can all change the rules.

  3. Talk it through next door

    Ownership is often unrecorded. A boundary agreement with your neighbour can record it more precisely.

  4. Cut a hedgehog gap

    A 13 x 13 cm hole at the base links gardens for an animal that travels 1 to 2 km a night.

BOUNDARY MYTHS

Whose fence
is it anyway?

HM Land Registry says it is a myth that the fence on your left or right automatically belongs to you, or that the side the posts are on shows who owns it. The red line on a title plan is usually not the exact legal boundary either.

"T" marks on plans may show who is responsible for maintaining a boundary feature, but do not always prove ownership. HM Land Registry cannot decide who owns a fence if the registered information does not make it clear.

A low wooden picket fence running along a front garden beside a quiet residential pavement
AI-generated image, not a photograph of a real person or place.

Questions

Questions people ask

How high can a garden fence be without planning permission?

In England, generally up to 1 metre next to a road used by vehicles or its footpath, and up to 2 metres elsewhere, measured from ground level, according to the Planning Portal.

Do I need permission for a hedge?

The Planning Portal says hedges themselves do not need planning permission, although a planning condition or covenant restricting planting may require consent.

Is the fence on my left always mine?

No. HM Land Registry lists this as a myth, along with the idea that fence posts show ownership.

Does my title plan show the exact boundary?

Usually not. Most title plans show general boundaries, and in England and Wales there is usually no record of the exact boundary or of who owns the fence between two properties.

How big should a hedgehog hole be?

Hedgehog Street recommends a 13 x 13 cm hole at the base of a fence or wall, enough for hedgehogs, which roam about 1 to 2 km a night.

Sources

Where the facts come from

  1. Planning Portal: Fences, gates and garden walls, planning permission
  2. HM Land Registry blog: Boundaries, facts, myths and how to avoid a costly dispute (October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: Your property boundaries
  4. Hedgehog Street: The missing link
  5. Natural History Museum: Britain's rural hedgehogs see dramatic population decline (2022)

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